Brokerages Set Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Target Price at $72.40

Key Points

• Kemper Corporation has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with one sell recommendation and three buy ratings alongside one strong buy.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 23.93%.
• Kemper also authorized a $500 million stock buyback program, indicating the board's belief that the stock is undervalued.

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $72.40.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KMPR. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JMP Securities lowered their target price on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $2.14 on Thursday, reaching $50.56. 2,604,528 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 820,895. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.52 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper has a twelve month low of $45.02 and a twelve month high of $73.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.93%.

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 10,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $637,032.33. This represents a 5.09% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Kemper by 104.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 651.6% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 699 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation, a diversified insurance holding company, engages in the provision of insurance products to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Property & Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property & Casualty Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance.